By the Riverside
by popalopolis
Summary: Welcome to a world where superior blood reigns supreme. A world of confusion , secrets, abductions and lies. readers, do not fret. all events are part of an elaborate plan, which will, rest assured, soon be entirely revealed. poor Naruto...
1. Chapter 1

**Oops…Oo…forgot the disclaimer.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story line!**

**Yaoi haters, please leave NOW**

_**By the Riverside**_

A lone blonde sat at the edge of the long river. He stared into it, staring right into his own reflection. Wondering if the person he saw in that river was somebody to be proud of.

The sun was setting, laying an orange hue over the entire sky. Orange was his favorite color. He wore it on his jumpsuit everyday for training. But not today, definitely not today. Today he wore a loose, white T-shirt and light blue shorts. The summer times were hot these days, in the hidden city of fire.

He sat at the edge of a never-ending river and the stars began to come out, one by one, lighting up the sky in little pieces. Finally, though it had been hours, it felt like mere minutes, the sun had set, the sky was a light-sprinkled black and the moon lay full above his head, reflected, grace and all, in the river below.

The blond didn't move. He merely sat there, thinking. Invisible but there were tears that managed to make their way across his cheeks and stain his loose shirt. He ruffled his hair, not wearing the regular Konoha headband. Not today, definitely not today.

Just hours ago, he was walking through town, bored senseless, it being his day off. He was a wanderer obliviously receiving hateful glares at the back of his neck by the accusing townspeople. He could feel them boring into him and occasionally scratched his neck to relieve himself of the discomfort.

Yes, he walked, wandering through the crowded streets. Through deserted alleyways and packed roads all the way up to his team's meeting spot at a lovely bridge.

But before he could make his way onto said bridge, he spotted two figures, standing quite near to each other. He walked closer, carefully, ever so carefully. All his ninja training would come to his aid at that very moment. Silently, he made his way towards the two figures and the closer he came, the clearer they became. He was able to make clear of one of the two figures immediately. Her pink hair could not hide her at all. Never had the blond ever heard of a pink-haired ninja until he met her. Pink was just not concealing enough for a ninja's hair.

Seeing Sakura there intrigued the blond quite a great deal. Why was she at their meeting place? It was definitely their day off, wasn't it? Of course it was. Sensei was nowhere in sight.

But it wasn't until the blonde made clear the second figure that his heart began to clench. Slowly, little by little, piece-by-piece, a dark haired ninja came out of his former, dark blur. Why was everything so dark today? Yes, he saw his second teem-mate leaning over the first and that's when his heart tore into a million pieces. 'What is going on? Why do I feel so…so hurt? So…broken?' Were questions that he asked over and over to himself as he abandoned his subtleness and ran, quick as a fox, out of his hiding place, through the forest and to the river. However, his actions were not unnoticed yet he didn't care at all.

Now he was here, alone and broken, analyzing the events that took place during the course of the day. But every time he remembered what had happened, his heart just shattered a little more.

Sakura, with her pink hair, was the blonde's first crush. A love he thought, at one point, was intense and everlasting. He was sure he would carry a burning desire for her forever. But now he saw how wrong he was. He was a fool to believe that a love like that would carry on forever. Day after day, he spent so much time convincing himself and those around him that he loved Sakura. But it was only a few hours ago that he realized that his love for her had wilted away.

Because it was only a few hours ago that he realized that he was, very much so, in love with someone else. And it was only a few hours ago when he realized that there was a love much more intense that existed out there.

For it was not when he saw Sakura that his heart tore in two. It was when Sasuke came out of the dark. At the river, he kept trying to convince himself that it was not true. But the truth was persistent and would not hide from his soul. Hard as he try, he would never be able to say to himself that he was jealous of Sasuke. For the truth said otherwise.

"Naruto," it told him from deep within, "get over it. You were jealous of Sakura."

And so he had given up telling himself that he loved the pink-haired girl and just wallowed in his own heartache knowing that his former crush had beaten him to his new love.

More tears streamed down his face as he recounted, over and over, what he had seen and what he had wished to forget. He stared into the river, at his own reflection, and pitied himself for never being able to love someone and have them love him back.

How would their daily training be now? If he could not even look at his dark-haired, stoic teammate without breaking into tears, how was he going to go through life being forced to see him, day after day?

These questions were left unanswered as he braced himself for the days to come, going through worst-case scenarios over and over again in his mind.

It was not until he looked back into the dark river that he noticed that another reflection had joined him. He saw, reflected on the face of the river, the reason for his heartache. The person he least wanted to see, now and forever.

He let out a forced laugh that came out more of a sob and in the water, he saw his companion's eyes change. They weren't as hollow as before. They weren't as empty anymore. The dark-haired boy must really have found true love because that is all the blonde saw in his eyes.

He looked straight into his companion's eyes to make sure they were no longer hollow and saw a passion in them, burning like fire.

He could not take it anymore. He stood up, causing his companion's head to jerk up, and took off to anywhere and nowhere, as long as he was away from him.

Sasuke decided not to follow, sensing the need to be alone. And that, in turn, made his heart ache. He decided that he needed to be alone too. Did the oblivious, always oblivious, blonde really care that much for the pink-haired girl? The thought alone made his heart wrench and he looked at his own reflection in the depth of the river, wondering silently to himself if the blonde would ever get over his obliviousness and come to realize what was really going on. He took off, back to the Uchiha estate, knowing that he would get no sleep tonight.

Said blonde sat, in front of the Hokage mountain and just sat there, wondering silently to himself if the dark-haired boy would ever get over his obliviousness and come to realize what was really going on. The silence was unnerving, in the dead of night, yet he sat there, looking up to the mountain that he believed he would be immortalized in. A shooting star passed by, standing out of the darkness it shot through, and the blonde made a silent wish. A wish for a mutual love and a rid of loneliness.

Sasuke looked out of his window, remembering what happened earlier that day. How he leaned over Sakura to reject her with a spiteful passion so it would make it's way through her thick skull and register itself into her brain. How they were so close that Sakura probably enjoyed the rejection this time. How he heard a rustle in the bushes nearby and turned, just in time to see a blonde blur whiz by. How he saw the blonde's tear-filled eyes and just wished he could make all his worries, all his sorrows, go away, leaving only the happiness and untainted innocence that he had grown to love.

He too noticed the bright star whiz by past his window, in the dead of night, and made a heart-filled, sincere wish. A wish for a mutual love and a rid of loneliness.

The two boys knew parts of the truth, but didn't understand the whole. They saw the worst in each situation and didn't bother to check for a silver lining. And love never found it's way to them last night, no, definitely not that night.

**A/N: This can be a one-shot or a multi-chapter fic. Depends on the reviews. Please, don't be too hard on me. This is my first fanfic and I'm only 13 . Please Leave Reviews :)! **


	2. Brother

Disclaimer: I definitely do not own Naruto…sadly, all I own is the storyline.

**A/N: Okay, because of the lovely reviews…I have decided to make this a milti-chap fic! Yay! Go for that! I've decided, because this is not a one-shot, I will make the storyline extremely complex! ;; Haha! Read and review please!**

**Hm…yes…the village hidden in the leaves…which is located in the country of FIRE! Well…that's my excuse…**

**On with the fic…**

Chapter 2 

As expected, neither of the boys had slept that night and returned to the bridge the next morning tired and in no shape to fight. Their quite profane, gray-haired sensei, with 2/3 of his face hidden, forced them to sprawl nonetheless.

Training was hell. That was expected, considering the day that had passed. Both boys refused to make eye contact, instead keeping their eyes anywhere except each other. This proved a problem with accuracy and neither landed a single punch.

Suffering on the inside, both boys were still forced to fight, even with their hearts squeezed tightly.

Sakura was off training with Kakashi-sensei. She looked downer than usual, more depressed. It seemed that Sasuke had finally gotten the message into her head. After so many rejections and so many trials, it seemed that she finally gave up. But things are not always what they seem, are they?

So the three students spent the hours training in misery and awkwardness, wishing they could all be somewhere else, while their masked sensei laughed behind his explicit book that seemed to be his world.

After hours and hours of, not physically, but emotionally painful, completely pointless and unproductive training, the three students were finally dismissed and went their separate ways as fast as they could, hoping to God that they could just get away from each other.

And that they did.

Sasuke fled to his mansion to lay in bed, Sakura went to Ino's flower shop to confide her worries to her recent best friend and Naruto made his way to the one place that ever gave him something to look forward to, that ever gave him hope: Hokage mountain.

He stood in front of the mountain, staring at the faces of each Hokage imagining his face carved in with theirs. Surely that day would come. Surely. If he was to become Hokage, he could not let his dark-haired teammate distract him from his training, deprive him from growing stronger. No, he had to get over him. He had to. For his dream. But even as he thought this thought, a thought of Sasuke is still a thought of Sasuke and a force of sorrow tugged at his heart. He had to get over Sasuke.

If he was going to spend the rest of his days training with the person that affected him with a mere stare, he had to find a way to make things not awkward between them. He had to find a way to be with him and not break down.

The first step to this solution, he decided, was confrontation.

He stood up with determination and quickly made his way to the Uchiha estate to confront his beloved, dark-haired teammate. No, this was not a confession. He would definitely not face the surviving Uchiha and say, straight to his face, 'Sasuke, I love you.' No, definitely not. This was a confrontation.

Finally, nervous to the bone, the blonde teen had found his way to the Uchiha Manor and rang the doorbell. And this ringing of the bell would be the beginning of a series of strange events, secrets with no explanations and a web of characters that would play key roles in a story that would change many people's lives forever.

No answer.

Another ring.

No answer.

Another ring.

No answer.

Several annoyed but chaste rings.

No answer.

The blonde decided to bang on the Uchiha's door.

No answer.

Naruto, being as short-tempered as he is, decided that if the Uchiha was not going to listen by choice, he would make him listen, by force.

Breaking an entry would be no problem, especially for such an elite ninja as himself. A crawl through a loose window earned him an entry into the Uchiha Manor. A large mansion that was even bigger on the inside, which, believe me, is very big.

The blonde teen stood still for a moment, just a moment, to marvel at the size of the mansion his teammate managed to live in, alone. He couldn't understand how the dark-haired boy could move around in this place without getting lost. If he lived here, he would definitely need a map. Soon the blonde regretted not bringing breadcrumbs in case he got lost. He should have expected the 'great' Uchiha Sasuke to live in a mansion as big as his ego.

He wasted no more time and initiated his search for Sasuke. Exploring, invading and admiring every single room, which (believe me) is a lot, he still could not find Sasuke.

"Sasuke!" he yelled in his oh-so-loud voice, "OI! TEME!"

No answer.

Deciding that his dark-haired teammate and the reason for all of his dismay was not in the household, he found his way to the front door and turned to exit when a small envelope on a nearby table caught his eye. He found himself drawn to it, though he did not know why. It just…intrigued him.

Suddenly, he found himself in front of the desk and picking up the envelope. Scribbled on the front of the plain white envelope was Sasuke's name and address written in feminine writing. 'What is this?' the blonde thought to himself.

The envelope was already neatly torn open, having already been read by Sasuke. This brought another question to the blonde's head: 'Sasuke can read?'

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he pulled out the mysterious letter and began to read.

_Dear Sasuke,_

_Please, I want to know more. Tell me more about him, the one you love. Please._

A smile played across the blonde's face. _Tell me more about him_. 'Him' as in male! This plain old letter gave the blonde a newfound hope. Maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe, just maybe, he still had a chance with his dark-haired teammate. At that moment, he completely forgot about the events of the last day. He completely forgot seeing Sasuke lean over Sakura and the love in the stoic teen's eyes that reflected off of the river-face. Yes, all he knew now was the letter and the hope it brought.

This letter seemed to be friendly to the blonde and so on he read!

_I need to know more. Please tell me about him. My brother._

And after all of that joy, all of his soaring hopes were shot back down again.

My brother. 

The blonde had no siblings. This meant that he could not at all be the 'him' the letter had been referring to and suddenly felt a jealousy's birth within him. It was worse than Sakura because he did not know who this 'him' was. Who was this 'him' the letter referred to? He read on, hoping to find the answer:

_Respectfully yours, Yososhi._

And that was all that was left: a signature. It took the blonde a while to realize it but eventually he caught on and realized that if he could find a 'Yososhi' than all he would have to do is find the person's siblings to know whom the 'him' referred to.

The blonde wasted no time, exited the Uchiha Manor and began his search for Yososhi.

* * *

Sasuke stood beside the river, feeling a summer breeze blow by and thanking God for the cool air. He looked into the river, waiting patiently for the arrival of his companion. 

"Sasuke," said a feminine voice from behind.

The stoic teen was startled, although he would never show it. Instead, he turned to face the source of the voice and said in his regular, calm tone, "Why did you come here?"

He stared into the shade of a large tree, the source of the voice hidden within its shadow.

"I want to know him," came the reply.

The voice sounded sorry, almost pleading.

"He does not need another complication in his life." Sasuke said sternly.

"I am not a complication!" the voice rose, but softened at the next spoken words, "I am his _sister_."

At this, Sasuke felt a somewhat pity for her. At least he knew his brother, though he completely surprised him by killing off the entire Uchiha clan leaving him to remain.

"You can watch over him, Yososhi" said the remaining, sane Uchiha, "But do not confront him. You might only make things worse. Wait for the right time, when you know he is ready."

"I will heed your advice," said the voice, as it's owner stepped out of the shadow.

She was about the same age as the stoic teen and only a tiny bit shorter. But her distinct features made it clear to the dark-haired boy the resemblance between herself and her brother. Her long, blonde hair shone in the glazing sunlight, her skin was a natural tan and the most distinct feature of all were the three whisker scars located on either cheek. She even had the same coloured outfit. A blinding orange.

"Yes, I will heed your warning," she said to the dark-haired teen, "but remember this: I am not asking you for your permission, I am asking you for your blessing. You do not have any right to tell me what to do."

And with that, another summer breeze blew by and the girl disappeared.

**A/N: An explanation of how Sasuke and Yososhi met will appear in later chapters. Please, give me feedback. I'm not sure if I should continue this story or delete this chapter and leave it as a one-shotXP Read and Review:)!  
**


	3. Filing cabinets, a stalker, a deception

**A/N: Okay, I've decided that I won't write the fifth chappie until at least obtaining 20 reviews for this story. I need to know if people are interested****J Here's the fourth! Go Yondaime! **

**Chapter 4: Gossip and Abduction**

Sasuke stayed at the river long after Yososhi was gone. He seemed to find a strange but welcomed peace being at the river. It soothed him to be able to feel calm. Not to be bothered. It was a place away from the total chaos of the city and when he was there, he could imagine that the world was, even for a moment, civilized. He sighed to himself and dipped his hand into the cool surface of the water. It was warm, having been under the sun for so long.

He sat there, with his hand in the water, and wondered to himself if Naruto would be alright. He wondered to himself if Yososhi would actually take his advice and stay away from the blonde boy or if she was as obnoxious or as stubborn as her brother. If she actually did decide to reveal herself, what would Naruto do? Surely, he would go into a frenzy. Maybe even become more insane than he was at the present time, if that were even possible.

Maybe he should go and watch over the blonde, guard him. Well, that was the excuse he would give to himself for being with his blonde teammate.

After much contemplation, he finally decided that he would do it. He would stay by Naruto's side and watch over him.

Eventually.

For the present moment, he just wanted to spend only a little more time in his own civilized, peaceful world by the riverside. Only a moment before he went to go search for Naruto.

**

* * *

**

Tsunade sat in her office, seemingly doing some important paperwork, how focused she looked. In reality, she was actually writing out her schedule, keeping track on how much time she should spend on her nails and what time she needed to be home to watch her favorite soap opera.

She was just about to arrange the time she would get her hair done, when her office door flew open and in stomped a determined, loudmouth blonde, panting for he had ran all the way to Hokage Tower, yelling "TSUNADE-SAMA!"

His sudden, not to mention loud, entrance caused Tsunade to jump in her seat.

_Great, I forgot what time I should arrange my hair appointment!_

She thought to herself.

"Go away you orange baboon. I was just in the middle of classified and important paperwork. I _am_ Hokage you know."

The teen stood still for a moment before getting down on his knees, clamping his hands together and saying:

"Tsunade-sama! I have a favor to ask you! Please listen! Please, please, please, please, PLEASE, with ramen on top! Please?"

After the pleading came the next step of his persuasion plan. Big, round, blue and unbelievably adorable puppy dog eyes. Those eyes, irresistible eyes they were, were what caused Tsunade to give in. That and the fact that he had called her _Tsunade-sama._ The pleading was unnecessary.

"Fine, fine" said a reluctant Hokage, "I will put off my important paper work. But only for a minute. Now, let's hear what you have to say and it better not be 'Tsunade-sama, will you please treat me to ten buckets of ramen?' like last time because you know how that ended up. I doubt you want to relive the answer."

Yes, Naruto did remember the time he asked for that favor. It ended up with a bump the size of Russia on his head and many painful bruises. Well, he did interrupt 'a very important meeting.'

"THANK YOU!" he said, so loudly that Tsunade had to cover her ears.

"Well, get on with it!" Tsunade said irritably. She truly did want to write down the time for her hair appointment.

"Um..uh…" began Naruto, unsure of how to start. Ease into the subject, maybe? "Can you, by any chance, let me see the personal files of the residences of Konoha?" Well, obviously Naruto, being as direct as he is loud, doesn't have any skill in easing into a subject.

Tsunade was at a loss for words. Instead, she just stared at the teen as if he were crazy, which he probably was.

"Hmm…let me try to phrase that differently," said the crazy teen as he thought about another way to say it, "Can you go check if there is anybody in Konoha by the name of Yososhi?"

"No." came the reply.

But Naruto was determined.

"Why?" he asked, not allowing himself to fail the investigation.

"Because the files are all the way over there," said the Hokage as she pointed across the room to a locked filing cabinet, "It's not even in reach. Besides, that's confidential information that I'm not allowed to reveal." She put on a very stern face.

"But I need to know if Yososhi lives in the village!" Naruto said as if Tsunade could understand.

Time to bring out the ultimate weapons: Puppy dog eyes.

He waited for her to waver for quite a while but she did not give in. Finally, he reluctantly gave up, his eyes tired from enlarging themselves for too long.

"Fine Baa-chan. I didn't want your help anyways." Reverse psychology never worked these days.

Naruto let out a small grunt before exiting the Hokage's office. As soon as the door was shut, said Hokage began to laugh.

­_This is the filing cabinet containing personal files._

And she looked to a filing cabinet beside her, only inches away and very much, indeed, within reach.

**

* * *

**

As soon as the discouraged teen walked outside of Hokage Tower, he was met by an ever stoic yet ever so hot Sasuke. It seems that Sasuke did manage to leave his calm world and go find Naruto. But, as you should already know, things aren't always what they seem.

"S-Sasuke?" the unbelieving Naruto stuttered.

* * *

**Earlier that day…**

Sakura stood in front of her bedroom mirror, brushing her bubble-gum pink hair. But in an instant, she grew tired of brushing her hair. There was nobody to impress anymore. She walked to her bed, face downcast, lied down and just sighed. Everything was going wrong.

Yesterday was a hard day for her. She had been rejected by her beloved Sasuke. Again. Well, she had grown quite accustomed to that bit but what he said after the rejection was what really made quite an impact on her.

"_**Listen to me. I'm in love with someone else." **_

To know that she didn't even have a chance anymore was what really shattered her world. Indeed, there was nobody to impress anymore. Throughout the whole day, she spent the passing time sulking. But at the moment, she had run out of tears and another feeling kicked in to replace the sorrow.

"Listen to me. I'm in love with someone else." 

This newfound emotion was definitely the powerful motivator of jealousy. 'Someone else'? What did he mean by that? Who was his loved one and more importantly, what did she have that she, herself, didn't? How dare somebody else steal her beloved Sasuke away from her!

Yes, her jealousy definitely brought her a fair amount of determination and she was going to find Sasuke's supposed 'loved one' no matter what it took.

She thought and thought about a plan and about whom Sasuke would love more than her. Soon, one word popped into her head:

_**Naruto.**_

**

* * *

**

"S-Sasuke," the unbelieving Naruto stuttered.

He gained his composure and proceeded to put on his fake attitude that he would often display for his dark-haired teammate.

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled loudly, "Are you following me! Trying to sneak attack me, eh?"

"Just follow me, dobe." Sasuke said as he proceeded to walk away.

"Why?" he asked but unfortunately wasn't heard as Sasuke proved to be out of earshot.

Curiosity getting the better of him and feeling a need to stay beside Sasuke, Naruto complied and ran up to Sasuke.

**

* * *

**

"Are we there yet?" the blonde asked, irritating the dark-haired teen. He had been asking this question non-stop for ten minutes straight.

"YES!" the annoyed one yelled.

It seemed they were right in front of Sakura's house and this made Naruto slightly nervous.

"What are we doing here?" he asked to his companion, who had already passed the small gate and was heading for the front door.

"Just follow me." Sasuke said, sternly.

Naruto had reached the front door by the time Sasuke pulled out a set of keys from his pocket and began to unlock the door.

'_Why does he have keys to her house?' _Naruto thought to himself.

They both entered the front door and each second, Naruto was getting more and more nervous. Their journey continued up the stairs and Sasuke led him to Sakura's room. '_Strange, he seems to know this place pretty well.'_

The room was empty when they had entered. Naruto took a quick look around. It was a neat room, very organized. He heard the door shut and turned around, but Sasuke was not what he saw.

Instead, standing in the stoic teen's place was none other then the pink-haired Sakura, wearing a menacing, almost threatening grin, which made Naruto even more nervous than he already was. Sakura, the master of illusion, had lured Naruto into her room. But for what?

And all the while, they hadn't realized that a cloaked figure stood outside the doorway, eavesdropping in on the conversation and watching them through the door.

**A/N: Well, that's it for today. Did you like it? Hate it? Give me feedback because I had an alternate plan for this chappie! Read and review please!**

**Advertiser: Is Sakura mad with jealousy? Is Neji watching them through the door with his byakuugen? Where is Yososhi? Will Sasuke ever snap out of dream world? Stay tune to find out! Reviews are always nice**


	4. Gossip and Abduction

**A/N: Okay, I've decided that I won't write the fifth chappie until at least obtaining 20 reviews for this story. I need to know if people are interested Here's the fourth! Go Yondaime!**

**Chapter 4: Gossip and Abduction**

Sasuke had fallen asleep by the riverside in his own, calm world and was just beginning to awaken. Realizing that 'eventually' had come and gone, he stood up abruptly, eager to find Naruto.

Immediately, he ran towards the village, hoping to meet the blonde immediately.

'There goes peace,' he thought to himself as he ran.

**

* * *

**

"S-Sakura?" Naruto said in disbelief.

Sasuke had been standing in her place not a minute before.

"Where's Sasuke?" he asked her nervously.

"Silly child," she said, "I have a talent for genjutsu, remember? Of course I would be able to disguise myself as Sasuke."

Naruto understood now. Sasuke was never there at all. It had been Sakura who met him at Hokage Tower.

"B-but why would you want to bring me here?" the blonde asked, confused as to what her plans were.

"I have a favor to ask of you." She stated and motioned Naruto to take a seat on her bed.

"Okay," the confused teen said suspiciously.

"It seems that Sasuke is in love with," her eyes grew angered and she said the following words with gritted teeth, "someone else."

"H-hai," Naruto was still confused.

"I was wondering…could you tell me who this person is? The person Sasuke loves?"

Sakura was after the same thing he was. The identity of Sasuke's loved one.

He internally contemplated whether he should tell her about Yososhi and Sasuke being into guys or if he should keep that personal information to himself. After minutes of waiting, the troubled blonde finally came to a decision. He concluded that it would be much faster and less difficult to track down Yososhi with some help and decided that he would tell Sakura about the letter. Hopefully Sakura wouldn't be too crushed to know that Sasuke was, let's just say, walking on a not-so-straight path of life.

He turned to an eager Sakura and said: "No, Sakura-chan. I'm sorry to say that I can't help you with a straight identity of who Sasuke's crushing on."

Sakura's head fell, "I thought he would have told you of all people," she said quietly, "ever since we became a team, you two have become quite close."

"_But_," the blonde said, awakening Sakura's interest, "I do know that he's not into girls."

"WHAT!" Sakura yelled, "Impossible!"

Naruto just shook his head, "Nope. It's possible! And I also know that his special guy is the brother of a girl named Yososhi." He was so proud of himself for knowing these facts.

"Where did you get this information?" asked the unbelieving pink-haired girl.

"Well," Naruto began, eager to tell his exciting story, "I went to his house today, to yell at him, and it was locked so I snuck in. And then I saw a very evil-looking envelope on the desk and I was, like, 'oooooo, aaaaahhhhh, eeeeeee, an envelope!' So I picked it up and read the letter and this is exactly what it said: "Dear bastard, I hope you die. I can't believe you're into my brother! Go die! From your rabid fan girl, Yososhi."

Of course, being Naruto, he exaggerated almost every aspect of his little story.

"I see," the unbelieving girl said suspiciously.

She contemplated on whether or not she should actually believe the boy's story.

"I'm not sure I believe you." She told him truthfully.

"Come on! It's true! And if you want to know who Sasuke's into, you'll have to find Yososhi."

"Well," she thought some more, "I'll see if I can find anything. I won't go out of my way to do it though."

"You should ask Ino," said the blonde boy. He too wanted very much to meet Yososhi, "She's pretty well-connected."

"Alright. Well, we're done here, so get out of my house!"

"Fine, fine. Just come down!" he walked to the exit and reached for the knob.

The cloaked figure on the other side of the door was prepared for what had to be done next. The blonde boy, on the other hand, was totally oblivious.

As soon as the door flew open, Naruto fell to the floor, hit at a stunning point.

Surprised at the loud thump the fallen body had created, Sakura made her way to Naruto to see what was going on. Big mistake. She soon joined her teammate on the floor and would not wake up for the next few hours.

**

* * *

**

Sasuke ran through the town, searching for any sign of Naruto. Soon, after passing quite a crowded street and several crowded stores, he caught site of a patch of blonde hair rounding the next corner. He ran to catch up but soon found that the hair was long.

'Thank goodness,' he thought to himself.

There were not many blonde people that resided in Konoha. The only one's he knew of were Naruto and Ino. But there was another person who was currently in Konoha. And that was Yososhi. He grabbed the person's shoulder, spun them around and was relieved to see Yososhi's face staring back at him

"Let go of me Sasuke," she said in a harsh tone, "I must find my brother."

**

* * *

**

"I'm sorry Naruto," said a quiet voice as the owner picked up his body, "but I have to do this."

The cloaked figure exited the house, leaving Sakura to lie on the floor unconscious. It ran swiftly over the rooftops of Konoha and made its way outside the village, the poor blonde in its arms.

**A/N: You hate? You like? Reviews are always nice:)  
**


	5. Labyrinth

**A/N: Thank y'all for the feedback! Yeah…I've gotten an obsession for the Naruto game: Narutimett Hero! Yay! Here's Chappie 5! YAY!**

Chapter 5: Labyrinth

Sand. Sand, sand and more sand. This is all Naruto saw when he awoke. He looked around but saw barely anything. Torches hung from the plain walls and barely illuminated the room he was in. The ceiling was pitch black and the floor was covered with sand. He saw an opening in one of the walls but it was too dark to look into. From all he could tell, it could have led to the ocean and he wouldn't know.

But who brought him here?

He stood up but found himself regretting it. A pain shot through his head giving him an unbearable headache. He collapsed onto the floor and was thankful for the soft sand that broke his fall. His chest hurt, probably the stunning point he had been hit at. Where was he? The torches didn't help to explain anything.

Footsteps. The blonde heard footsteps, a patting sound echoing and bouncing off of the walls. Louder and louder it became, closer and closer. Soon, he could hear his own breath, deep and heavy. Worried shots of air that ran through his body. There was somebody drawing nearer and nearer. He clutched the sand that lay beneath him, preparing for the worst.

The footsteps stopped suddenly.

"What do you feel, kitsune?" asked a deep, mellow voice from the darkness, "Loneliness? Because you better get used to it. You'll be in here for a long time."

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun," came another voice. Sweeter, sadder.

After the voices only silence followed. A silence that swallowed the poor blonde whole. Yes, he did feel lonely. An emotion he hadn't felt for a long time. And he didn't want to get used to it again.

* * *

"Let go of me, Sasuke. I must find my brother." Said a persistent blonde girl, shrugging the raven-haired boy's hand off of her shoulder. 

Sasuke was just relieved. Thank goodness nobody had seen her yet. But what had she been doing all this time? And where in the world was Naruto? Wherever he was, Sasuke was glad he was safe. Or so he thought.

"May I have a word with you?" he asked harshly, stalling for time.

"Quit stalling, Sasuke." She had seen right through him, "I'm busy right now."

She began to walk away but Sasuke would not let her go. He actually had plans to talk to her anyway. Might as well do it now. He would stop Yososhi with a subject not to be treaded upon. He was going to unlock doors not meant to be unlocked, open Pandora's box. But he had to know.

"I have to talk to you," he began to say before hesitating, "Tell me about Rikodamau-sensei,"

Yososhi stopped in her tracks at the name she heard. She seemed to be in a trance-like state and Sasuke knew that he had revived many dead memories for her. But they had to get it over with. He needed to know what happened.

"Tell me."

* * *

Haruno Sakura awoke on the floor. She lay there, confused for a moment, before she remembered what had just happened. Someone had been waiting outside her bedroom door, waiting to take Naruto. 

Sakura contorted her face with disgust. A stranger had been standing in her house. Or so it seemed.

Now she had to figure out what to do. Of course, she would have to tell someone. She decided that the first person she had to tell was tell Tsunade, a mother figure for Naruto but also the Gondaime Hokage of Konoha. She would definitely be able to help. She quickly made her way outside of her house and began to walk hastily to Hokage Tower. In her worry, she had forgotten all about finding Sasuke's loved one.

* * *

Kiba had been training in his usual training grounds practicing the synchronization of his attacks with his loyal dog, Akamaru. Even during the warm summer, he kept his even warmer sweater on. 

It was when he sat down under the shade of a tall tree that Akamaru began to bark vigorously.

"What's wrong Akamaru?" he asked his loyal friend.

A few barks and ruffs later, Kiba once again stood up and took a defensive position.

"Come out," he said threateningly.

Out of the shadows of the surrounding forest immerged the figure of Hyuuga Hinata and in her arms was an unconscious Neji.

"Oh," sighed Kiba, relieved that he didn't have to fight, "Hello, Hinata. What brings you here?"

His tone was happy but he looked up to find the Hyuuga's face troubled and worried.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She looked up at him with sad eyes and instantly he was at her side.

"Kiba," she said under her breath, "I've done something wrong. We must rescue Naruto-kun."

**A/N: Yes, Hinata has done something terribly, terribly wrong. And who is Rikodamau-sensei? Stay tuned to find out Sorry for the short chapter. I'm pretty busy nowadays. Reviews are always nice:)  
**


	6. Scar

**A/N: Here's the fifth chappie. Hope you like ! Well…things are going to begin to get serious in this chapter and the characters will be more involved so here it is!**

**  
**

**Chapter 6: Scar**

Hyuuga Neji lay in a bed in room 107 at the Konoha hospital while a frantic Hinata hurriedly explained the dire situation to her teammate and his dog. They stood at the lobby of the hospital as Kiba unsuccessfully tried to calm his teammate down. "K-Kiba," she told him as he listened carefully, "We must save Naruto as soon as possible."

Kiba was quite surprised by the story that Hinata had told him not too long ago. It was apparent that Neji had been kidnapped and was being held hostage in a secret dungeonjust outsidethe village hidden in the sand. A ransom note had been sent to the poor girl demanding Naruto in return for her fellow Hyuuga clan member. Thinking logically, Hinata had realized that Konoha was doomed if another village was to discover the secrets of the superior bloodline trait Byakugan known only to the exclusive Hyuuga clan members. She had reluctantly kidnapped Naruto, stealthily exited Konoha and retrieved Neji.

What bothered Kiba was how Neji, member of the noble Hyuuga clan of Konoha, could be captured so easily, even with his blood advantage. And why was it that the mastermind behind all this treachery had not taken Naruto directly? This was an unsettling and suspicious situation and was to be handled by the top ninjas of Konoha. It seemed as though another invasion of Konoha was approaching.

"Don't worry, Hinata," he told his worried teammate, "Gondaime will be here soon." Kiba, fierce and beastly Kiba, had always had a soft spot for the shy girl.

As if on cue, Tsunade burst into the lobby and approached the two young ninjas instantly.

"Where is he?" she asked Hinata hurriedly, "Where is Neji?"

"Hokage-sama!" yelled a hospital attendant from down the hall. An urgent tone flew threw her voice, "Hokage-sama! You must take a look at this!" The attendant came from Neji's room, room107, and in an instant, Tsunade was at the scene.

Confused, Hinata stood up and began to walk to the room herself, Kiba slowly following behind. As they approached, a fair number of medic-nins burst out of the room, a sick expression plastered onto their faces.

"Don't let the Hyuuga in!" heard Hinata as she came closer and closer to the room. The voice was Tsunade's and she sounded frightened. Kiba gripped her hand, he too worried about what was happening in the room. As she was about to enter, a medic-nin came out and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Hyuuga-sama," he said, pity in his eyes, "I advise you not to go in. It is the orders of the Hokage."

This made Hinata even more frightened. What on earth could be happening in that room? She was determined to find out, one way or another, and nothing was going to stop her.

She formed a seal with her two trembling hands before unleashing the power of her superior blood.

"Byakugan!"

The sight she saw inside of the room made her blood run cold. Time itself stopped in its tracks and cold tears fell from her white eyes.

Kiba pushed passed the medic-nin yelling, "What's happening! Let me see!"

He only found himself stumbling out of the room, clutching his stomach. Akamaru whimpered and backed away from the room slowly, legs shaking frantically.

The sight in the room would have made anybody sick. Yes, a site that was gruesome indeed.

* * *

Sasuke and Yososhi sat across from each other at a local, quiet restaurant. Here, they would not be bothered. They sat, staring intensely at each other, waiting for the one to speak first. 

"Why do you want to talk about him?" asked Yososhi, now avoiding eye contact completely.

"I deserve the right to know," he replied calmly.

"Know what?" she asked, though Sasuke knew perfectly well that she knew what he was talking about.

"How he died!" there went his calm resolve as he raised his voice and attracted the stares of the surrounding customers.

Yososhi kept silent and still refused to make eye contact.

"He died," she said, her eyes softening, "That's all there is to it."

The raven-haired teen heard a slight waver in her voice and knew there was much more to the death of his former sensei.

He remembered the man quite well, though it had been years since he last saw him. He remembered a tall figure with hollow, gray eyes. He remembered short, messy, violet hair that stuck out in every direction. He remembered a bandaged arm and a terribly scarred face. He remembered a sword that hung from his shoulders and a voice as deep as the night. He remembered everything.

* * *

**Flashback**

"Father," an eight-year old Sasuke said, wincing at the heavy backpack he was carrying, "Where are we going?"

"Patience son," came the vague reply.

The rest of the walk was experienced in silence and hours later they finally reached their destination.

They seemed to have reached the center of a large forest and Sasuke was confused as to why they were here. His father performed many complicated hand seals and as he finished, the trees that mere minutes ago had been in front of the confused child disappeared to be replaced by a small wooden home.

"A strong genjutsu," his father explained as they approached the cabin.

At the doorway stood a smiling man with a horrible scar across his face that extended from the bottom of his left eye to the bottom of his right cheek.

"Yososhi," he called to the inside of the cabin with a voice as deep as the night, "our guests have arrived."

At the doorway, beside the scarred man, emerged a small blonde girl about the same age as our young Sasuke. She hid behind a teddy bear that she embraced tightly in her arms. Sasuke thought that she vaguely resembled a cat because of the three whisker-like scars on either one of her cheeks.

"Hello," she said softly. A shy girl, she was.

Sasuke then proceeded to observe the man who was now shaking hands with his father. Immediately, the feature that stood out the most was his eyes. Hollow, gray eyes fit for a porcelain doll. They looked as if they were made of glass. Anybody would be able to tell these were not normal eyes.

He and his father stepped inside the cabin and Sasuke took his first steps towards the events that lead to himself today and to being the only connection between the young girl and her brother.

**End of Flashback**

* * *

As Sakura approached the Konoha hospital, she noticed a stunned Hinata walking shakily outside with a blanket draped around her shoulders. Kiba followed closely with Akamaru on his head, both wearing the same fearful expression. 

Sakura had heard that the Hokage would be here and planned to tell her about Naruto's abduction.

Instead, she made her way towards Hinata, curious about what frightful event was taking place.

"Hinata-sama," she said as she attempted to place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Instead, she found herself surprised as her hand was swatted away and the frightened girl let out a soft sob.

She turned to Kiba who stood still, stunned and looking down at the floor.

Sakura ran into the hospital thinking that she was prepared for anything that might be happening. She was indeed wrong.

Inside, she found plenty of medic-nins crowded around one room, room 107,a couple of them clutching their stomachs and kneeling on the floor. She approached the room cautiously and found that strands of yellow tape blocked off the doorway.

Before she could take a look inside the room, a medic-nin had fortunately caught site of her.

"Excuse me," the medic-nin said tenderly, "You cannot pass any further than this without proper authority." She smiled sweetly but her eyes were filled with fear.

Sakura paid no attention to the woman and just stood still, staring in the direction of the dark room. She caught a glimpse of said room and stood stunned for she could see that the walls were covered with blood. Room 107 with walls covered in blood.

* * *

Naruto had been walking for quite some time, the flickering light of a torch he had taken off a wall guiding his path. He had decided that staying in one room would not help the situation in any way at all and so he made his ways down the dark halls. Hall after hall, room after room he walked. He didn't seem to be getting anywhere and felt too weak to try and break through the wretched walls. 

There seemed to be no end to wherever he was. It just kept going and going until forever. Like a giant and horrible maze. And in this huge maze, the poor blonde felt surprisingly small and unbearably lonely. The affects of the horrible maze were beginning to make their way to the teen.

He entered another room and continued to walk until he suddenly tripped over something that lay on the sand-covered floor.

"Damn it," he said to himself as the sand broke his fall.

He seemed to have dropped his torch and began to crawl towards its light.

As he approached the torch, he realized that it lay by the figure he had tripped over and helped to illuminate whatever it was. Closer and closer he crawled, the light growing brighter and the figure growing clearer. Finally he came close enough to pick up his dropped torch and he saw that whatever he tripped on was not a 'what'. It was most definitely a 'who'. He had tripped over a person who lay on the sand and as the teen put the torch closer to his face, he spotted a horrible scar that extended from the bottom of the person's left eye to the bottom of his right cheek.

Maybe he wasn't so alone after all.

**A/N: Sorry for the lame chapter. I had a really bad case of writer's block with this and I sprained my right arm on a skiing trip. Skiing is fun! Anyway, did you like? Did you hate? Hopefully my storyline will get better.  
**

**P.S: I've been receiving a MASSIVE case of writer's block lately so if you give me an idea, i'll be eternally grateful to you and dedicate a one-shot of your choice to you. Reviews are always nice :)  
**


	7. Author's Note and Not a Chapter

**Note: **I'm writing a totally different story about the history of Yososhi and her relationships between herself, Sasuke and Rikodamau-sensei.

It will be entitled 'My Father, My Teacher, My Hope,' so look out for that.

On another note, as I've said before, ideas for this story (By the Riverside) will be considered and if you submit one, I will dedicate a one-shot to you.


	8. Blood

**A/N: So…anybody getting bored of the story yet? I was thinking of doing an alternate universe story for Naruto. How does that sound? Give me suggestions! Anyway…here's the seventh chapter. The invasion of Konoha will start soon. **

**P.S. sorry for taking so long...it turns out my arm's fractured O.o**

**Chapter 7: Blood**

"Hey," Naruto called towards the body that lay beside him, "Hey, wake up!"

He heard his voice echo off of the walls and into the depths of three halls that came off of the room he was in. This only helped to make the small boy seem even smaller in the large and elaborate structure he was in. It had been hours since the boy had last used his voice (which, believe me, is a long time for the loudmouth ninja) and it sounded strange and unfamiliar to his ears.

He poked the body in hopes of waking it up but there came no response. He tried hitting him with a hard fist and found this attempt to be in vain. He began to wonder if the man was actually dead, a thought he did not even want to consider in hopes of not being alone. But reality would not change solely for him and he knew it.

But the boy was a dreamer and he would much rather put his faith in a hopeless dream instead of a painful reality. He did not want to continue his journey alone so he draped the body over his shoulders, picked up his torch and continued his walk through the complicated labyrinth.

On and on he walked and more tired he grew, but he would not give up hopes in finding an exit. For what seemed like hours, he continued walking, the extra weight bringing on more of a burden. He entered another dimly lit room and as soon as he took one step in, he heard a voice say through the darkness,

"Take one step closer and I'll kill you,"

And this was a voice that was indeed familiar to his ears.

* * *

Tsunade stood inside room 107 reflecting on what had just happened. She thought she was dreaming, the events were so unbelievably dreadful. Hyuga Neji had melted right in front of her eyes and all that remained was the blood that covered the entire room. She remembered a time when she was terrified of blood, but that was a long time ago. _What could have caused this catastrophe?_ ran through her head over and over again. 

"Tsunade-sama," she heard a voice call from the doorway, snapping her out of her thoughts, "I think you should take a look at this,"

The medic-nin held a sheet of paper in his right arm, which he extended, and a worried Tsunade took a look at what it had to say. Relief washed over her for a split-second before she realized the mystery and many questions the lone sheet of paper held. _Impossible, _she thought to herself, _I saw his body melt away right before my eyes!_

What was the paper she held in her hand? The results of a test, is what it was. A blood test, to be exact. And the results said negative.

She ran outside to tell the children the hopefully good news. Outside the hospital building, she found Hinata, Sakura and Kiba, sitting side by side, with towels draped over their shoulders and an expression on their faces that was a cross between terror and confusion.

"Children," she began, catching their attention and snapping them out of their trance-like state, "Neji's not dead."

The three kids had replaced their expressions with surprise and soon, slowly and gradually, small, relieved smiles were visible on their faces.

"But…how?" Hinata asked, unbelieving of the good news.

"It has been recently discovered that the blood on the walls does not match that of Neji." The Hokage explained.

Once again, the expression on the children's faces had changed, this time to confusion.

"But if that's so," Sakura began, "then whose blood is it?"

"Now that, my dear, is the question."

And though the four of them were happy about the fortunate news, they were also strangely irritated by the unnerving questions it brought up. Whose blood had it been on the walls of room 107?

* * *

"Do you want to see him?" asked Yososhi, looking out of the window, sounding distant and calm, "If you like, I could take you to his grave." She turned towards him, waiting for a response. 

This caught Sasuke's attention. Though he had been with Rikodamau for only a month, he had gotten to know so much about him and felt as though he had known the sensei for all his life. He had taught him so much in such little time and had gained Sasuke's respect, ehich, nowadays, was very rare. He thought about the suggestion. Naruto would definitely be okay if Yososhi was with him the whole time. She wouldn't have the opportunity to confront her brother and cause morechaosin his life. Little did he know what a desperate situation his blonde love was in.

"Fine," he said, sustaining his calm resolve, "Take me to his grave."

She got out of his seat as he got out of his and together, they made their way out of Konoha village.

_Naruto,_ Sasuke thought, _Please take care of yourself while I'm away._

* * *

"Take one step closer and I'll kill you." 

In the darkness, Naruto could not see the face of who was speaking.

The voice sounded so familiar but he couldn't quite place it.

The body draped over his shoulders began to groan and Naruto lay it on the sand-covered floor immediately. _Thank goodness, _he thought, _he's not dead._

"Who are you?" the figure in the shadows asked, not answering the question himself.

Naruto gave no reply, busily trying to wake up the unconscious body.

"Tell me who you are, or I'll kill you," the figure calmly stated.

Still, Naruto did not say a word, much to distracted by his unconscious companion.

"Fine, have it that way." Said the figure in the shadows, taking a special fighting stance. Now, if Naruto had seen this special pose, he would have identified the person immediately, "Prepare for battle," The next word the figure said caught Naruto's attention and revealed the identity of this mysterious person.

"Byakugan!"

"Neji?" Naruto asked, finally looking up.

Two fingers stopped three inches from Naruto's throat. _Woah,_ Naruto thought.

"Naruto?" Neji said before collapsing onto the floor in front of Naruto, "I've been walking forever."

"Me too," he replied.

The unconscious person that lay by Naruto began to stir.

"Who's this?" Neji asked, nodding his head in the direction of the soon to be conscious body.

"Dunno," replied Naruto, "Found him in one of the rooms."

"Where are we?" asked Neji, not needing to take a look at his surroundings because of his 360 degree vision.

"Well aren't we full of questions," Naruto said in attempts of brightening up the situation, "But again, dunno."

"But maybe he does," said Neji, again gesturing to the unconscious body.

Said body began to move, turning from side to side. Soon, the man was sitting up and clutching his head in pain.

"Where am I?" he asked in a deep voice.

"We were hoping you knew," said Naruto.

It was only then that the man opened his eyes. Gray and hollow eyes that looked similar to Neji's. He sat silently for a moment before saying,

"I do know," he lightly touced the large scar that marred his face, "And we have to get out of here."

* * *

A cloaked figure stood in the middle of a small and dirty shack. He wore a grotesque and monstrous dragon mask, concealing his entire face and making him impossible to identify. 

"How long will it take brother," he said to himself in a dry and scratchy voice, "for you to realize the secrets of my labyrinth?"

He took a look around the shack and at three tied up bodies that lay in three of the four corners of the room. The unconscious bodies of Naruto, Neji and his dear, beloved brother.

"Now all I need is Sasuke."

* * *

"Hokage-sama!" Tsunade heard Shizune call for her urgently as she ran up to her superior, "Hokage-sama! You need to take a look at this!" 

It was then that Tsunade noticed the sheet of paper that Shizune waved in her hand.

"What is it?" asked Tsunade, slightly irritated. She already had so much to worry about, after all.

"The results of the second blood test," answered Shizune, panting for breath, "Traces of Bizunen were found in the blood."

"Bizunen?" asked Tsunade in surprise, "But that's -"

"Yes, I know," interrupted Shizune.

"Gather the available Jounins," said Tsunade in a tone of urgency, "The situation is worse than I suspected."

**A/N: Did you like? Hate? Suggestions are accepted! Read and review please:D muahahaha...the story isconfusing so far, isn't it? just hang in there and all will be revealed. keep reading y'all :)**


	9. Rescue

**A/N: OMG, finally! Well, here's the official eighth chappie! Enjoy! **

**P.S. Sorry if it's confusing. In theory, the story's supposed to clear up as the plot evolves. It's to keep all you lovely readers reading :)**

**Chapter 8: Rescue**

The Jounins were gathered in Tsunade's office awaiting orders. The room was tense and the air was thick while Tsunade tried to decide what to do. Kiba, Hinata and Sakura were also with them, sitting quietly beside each other on small wooden chairs.

Finally, Tsunade lifted her head from her hands.

"This is serious," she said to all of them.

She had not yet explained the situation to any of the jounins yet they could feel the desperateness of the situation.

"We found a dead body with Bizunen in its blood," she continued, earning a wave of gasps from the only three available jounin: Asuma, Kakashi, and Kurenai.

She told the elite ninja the whole story about Neji and the mysterious melting replacement while the 3 silent chunnin wondered what on earth Bizunen was.

Finally, Tsunade had finished the recap and Kakashi noted that, though it was treacherous, the kidnapping as well as the kidnapper was ingenious.

"The culprit must be talented," he had said, "to be able to keep up that strong of a genjutsu for so long."

"Which one of them is dead," Asuma asked quite bluntly.

"That, we are not sure of." Tsunade replied.

"One of the two last remaining Bizunen holders…" Kurenai said, shaking her head in disappointment.

Finally, Sakura couldn't take it anymore. Her curiosity was welling up inside like air in a balloon. But the balloon had just popped.

"What is Bizunen!" Sakura exclaimed, forgetting the dire situation they were in and solely focusing on the explanation of 'Bizunen.'

"I suppose we do owe you an explanation," Tsunade said calmly, "Since it can't be helped."

And so, she began to tell the tale of Bizunen. But she sounded reluctant.

* * *

Long ago, the Uchiha and Hyuga clans were non-existent and there stood only one clan of Konoha that possessed kekkei genkai: Otana. The skilled Otana clan members were respected and praised throughout all the lands with their exceptional abilities and blood. The known abilities of this special bloodline, known as Bizunen, combined those of the Byakugan and Sharingan while adding some of its own, original and more powerful attributes. 

Most of the clan had been killed in action after Konoha had been target by six nations that had allied against them. Refusing the responsibility they held and the deaths it brought with it, the clan split into the two elite clans we know of today: Hyuga and Uchiha. Therefore splitting the responsibility.

With their abilities, the Otana surpressed the chakra that mixed the sharingan with the byakugan leaving the Uchiha with sharingan and the Hyuga with the byakugan.

Today, there are only two Otana clan members with the legendary abilities of the bizunen who live on the border of the country of fire.

* * *

"I see…" Sakura said quietly as Tsunade concluded the tale, "And the blood you found on the walls was not that of Neji, but of one of the remaining bizunen holders." 

Hinata looked at her feet silently. She was happy that her cousin had survived but she suffered the pain of knowing that somebody else had died.

"We have to retrieve Neji immediately," said the Hokage urgently, "because whoever has done this must have been powerful enough to overcome Bizunen. All three of your teams will go. Team Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai, gather and dispatch A.S.AP. Use Pakun to find any scent of and detect Hyuga Neji."

"Shino is on a special mission with his father," Kurenai stated.

The Godaime replied with, "Fine. Kiba, Hinata, you two will go. Kakashi, retrieve Naruto and Sasuke immediately."

And a spark that blew out in Sakura's head was resurrected.

"Godaime!" she exclaimed as she stood up suddenly, "Naruto's missing! He was kidnapped!"

"What!" Godaime exclaimed in fury, "The situation is growing desperate. Kakashi, you, Sasuke and Sakura will search for Naruto. Asuma, Kurenai, your teams will find the Hyuga."

"B-but," Hinata began as she too stood up from her sitting position, "I know where both of them are."

It took a few moments for Tsunade to register this, "Explain," she demanded.

When Hinata had finished her second explanation of the story, Tsunade, knowing the many secrets of Konoha, began to realize what was going on.

Under her breath, she whispered, "Rikoushu."

A silence fell in the room as Hinata shyly sat back down.

"By now," Tsunade said as she shook her head, "Sasuke is probably gone as well."

* * *

They had been traveling for quite some time. By now, the sun was beginning to set. Yososhi, with her great speed, led the way as Sasuke silently followed. Unsure of what to expect, he just kept on moving. It seemed so unorthodox that such a talented shinobi as Rikodamau would ever be able to get killed, especially with his superior bloodline trait. 

It was lucky for him that Yososhi, being the student of Rikodamau and acquiring many exceptional jutsus, knew an advanced cloaking technique that allowed them to escape Konoha without being labeled as missing nin.

Finally, they had reached their destination. Both stopped in their tracks in front of a small and shabby shack. The land around them was deserted and bare. A field of long grass, empty and isolated.

"This doesn't seem a fit place to burry Rikodamau-sensei," said Sasuke nervously. He sensed a terrible presence close by.

He snuck a glance at Yososhi and saw that she had her head down and her face in a strange expression. Was it guilt?

"Ah," said a raspy voice, causing Sasuke to turn instantly.

In front of the shack now stood a cloaked figure wearing a hideous dragon mask.

"Sasuke," he said, in that same raspy voice, "So glad you could make it."

Sasuke felt a painful pang on the back of his head and found himself falling to the floor. Soon, he felt dizzy and the whole world seemed to fade away.

The masked figure stepped over the unconscious body and stood in front of Yososhi.

"Good job, child," he said.

She turned away. "Give him back!" she exclaimed in a demanding tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said in return. Though she could not see his face, she knew that he was smirking.

What she had feared was now becoming a reality. This was her only chance to save her abducted sensei, but now all hope was lost, just like she knew it would be. She turned back to the masked figure, tears welling up inside her eyes.

"You promised," she said, now in a pleading tone, "How could you do this, uncle? How could you do these terrible things? You killed his daughter! She was just a child!"

But he was laughing now, and soon she found herself growing unconscious as well. She stumbled about for a minute before collapsing onto her knees and falling to the floor.

And all the while, he continued to laugh.

* * *

They had collected the teams as soon as possible but night had already fallen by the time they were ready to go. Now, they all stood at the gates of Konoha. Tsunade had been right. Sasuke was nowhere to be seen. Hinata, having already been to the criminal's hideout, was prepared to lead the way. 

"Be careful," Tsunade said sternly, not wanting to lose anymore of her talented shinobi.

"Don't worry," Kakashi said, "We can handle it."

"I will send Jiraiya as soon as he gets back from his mission," she said, "Now go."

And they did. They went and ran swiftly through the night, unsure and worried about what would happen, desperate and determined to save their friends.

**A/N: WoOt! It's finally done! Omg, this took forever with all the schoolwork I had! Well, did you like? Did you hate? **


End file.
